This is an open letter to all of my "shore" friends.

We may not spend the entire year together, but in the three months that we do, we make up for all the lost time.

When I was younger, my parents decided to buy a beach house in a small, private beach. Little did I know that this beach would be home to some of my very best friends today. People always ask if it bothers me that I do not get to spend the summer with my friends at home, and while I do miss them, I get to see my amazing shore friends.

Not everyone understands why having friends at a beach house is so amazing. Our nights are spent aimlessly walking the beaches, going to get ice cream from our favorite ice cream parlors, or even just sitting outside of our houses talking for hours. The reason it is so amazing is because everyone is walking distance from each other, so you can just decide you want to hang out and walk to their house in 2 minutes. Not to mention, we also get to sit on the beach together all day and get tan while hanging out.

Never in a million years did I think having my shore friends would be as important as it is to me today. I have met some of the greatest people at my beach house, and we stay in contact all year even though we all do not necessarily live near each other. There is nothing like stepping foot on the beach in June and getting to see everyone you missed, and all the familiar faces. Everyone is close down at the shore, and everyone knows everyone.

Another perk about my shore friends, is that I even get to work with some of them. So, as if spending all day on the beach together was not enough, we also get to be coworkers later that night. So days at the beach are usually spent recapping work drama and incidents from the night before, and then going right back to work the next night. I also love getting to visit all my friends at there job, whether it be at an ice cream shop, or the badge booth, or the local condominium pool lifeguarding.

All in all, I would not trade these amazing friends for the world! For most people who have a beach house, or a vacation house, you can understand how amazing it is to have friends there. Spending all three months on the beach every day with amazing people, and nights spent getting ice cream and playing cards outside are irreplaceable in my eyes.

I am so grateful to have met everyone I did at my shore house, and cannot wait to be back in about 180 days!